


Cyberspace

by abderian



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - RPG, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-05
Updated: 2014-10-05
Packaged: 2018-02-19 22:56:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2405948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abderian/pseuds/abderian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyday Harry and Niall silently crush on the other, surviving the dull school day with sneaking glances and non-existent conversations. However, every afternoon they both log into the same online game, and play side by side. How is it that they can know everything about someone they met online, and not even realise that its the same person that invades their thoughts every day at school?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cyberspace

The pencil tapped against the desk, as Niall allowed his mind to wander, staring out of the classroom window, and the drone of the teacher’s voice fading. Outside another class was running laps and Niall found his blue eyes following one of the boys, entranced by his long strides and how his hair flopped with every loping step.

Harry Styles. He was the star athlete and the most enviable male in school with his soft green eyes and cheeky grin, the ability to make anybody fall for him with his natural charisma. Including Niall. The blond had rarely talked to him, with the exception of a few sentences exchanged in their biology class where Harry would come to the class nerd for the answers.

Harry rounded the corner jogging out of sight, and Niall’s attention turned to the most miniscule of things, his mind jumping around easily distracted, knowing deep down that he should be paying attention, but also knowing that when the time came for the exams he would top the class with minimal effort.

The sunlight filtered down, hitting the green lawns, the tiniest buds of clovers peeking from the grass. The bees flittered through the sky, landing on the colourful flowers that lined those paths, collecting pollen. Birds dived and danced around the clouds which drifted lazily across the clear blue sky. There was something about admiring nature in spring that enraptured Niall, the way that everything seemed to come to life, and even the stormy English weather was held at bay.

“Mr Horan!” Niall blinked, jumping slightly as the teacher gruffly called his name out. “I asked you if you could identify a point where Pip felt a loss of belonging?”

Niall’s mouth began to move on its own accord, monotonously reciting one of the text book answers for Great Expectations that the teacher was looking for, “When he is first invited to Miss Havisham’s and meets Estelle, Pip immediately detects how in comparison he is common and that he wishes he was not common. This created a desire to better himself and join gentlemanly society, but in the process he lost his connection to both Joe and his old life at the forge.”

The teacher nodded, seemingly satisfied, and continued with his lecture while Niall allowed his mind to once again wander.

xXx

Harry slipped into his seat, pushing his brown curls out of his eyes, pulling out the biology book with a groan. He just didn’t get the subject no matter how hard he tried, all the words and theories that he was supposed to remember floating over his head.

Really all he cared about was getting home and playing on the new RPG, Dawn of Darkness. It was set at the start of the Dark Ages, and he loved fighting alongside his companions in sword fights to the death as the completed missions. Honestly, if he was being fair, he had already created a reputation for himself. Him and his partner, together they were famous across the internet and all the rookies sought them out trying to defeat them for honour. They all failed.

Harry forced his thoughts away from the game as class began, although it wasn’t that much of an improvement as he found himself looking at the back of a blond head. Niall was sitting in front of him again, it was possibly one of the reasons he was doing so badly in the class. Although he had to admit it was helpful to have the class nerd within arm’s reach when he needed something explained, even if he did find himself admiring how blue his eyes were, or watching his soft pink lips moving, rather than actually listening.

The other boy didn’t even realise all the weapons he had at his disposal. Sure Harry knew that he was considered the most eligible bachelor in the school, as conceded as it was to think that, everyone knew it was true. And everybody knew that the only other person that stood a chance, that any girl would have a heart attack if he talked to them was Niall. The only problem was the Irish boy didn’t realise it.

“Everybody please turn to page 394 and complete the questions.”

Groaning Harry flipped through his large text book, sighing as he realised once again that the questions made no sense to him.

Leaning forward he tapped Niall on the shoulder, swallowing roughly when he turned around.

“Hey could you explain to me about the light and dark reactions in photosynthesis?”

Niall smiled brightly, launching into the explanation without any thought, his intelligence giving Harry butterflies.  He just stared blankly, taking in the sparkle in his eye, the flush across his cheeks, listened to his accent without hearing the words.

“Do you understand now?” Niall asked kindly.

Harry bit his lip, having now more understanding than he did before he asked the question. “Yup, thanks so much Niall.”

xXx

Niall dumped his schoolbag in the hallway, wandering to his bedroom to flick his computer on before heading back out to the kitchen to grab some food.

Pouring the hot water into his instant noodles, Niall grabbed a fork and wandered back, making himself comfortable on his seat, adjusting his headphones and microphone as he logged into Dawn of Darkness, smiling when he realised that CheshireCat was already logged in and waiting for him.

“Hey LeprechaunWarrior, what took you so long slow poke?” Niall smiled as the voice crackled at his through his headphones.

“Sorry mate, I just had to get some noodles first.” The pair started to laugh together, already aware of each other’s habits, despite never meeting or even knowing the other’s name.

“So Cat, what do we have today?”

“The same old, same old, a few missions, fight a few bandits, save a few princesses, oh and a couple more punks who think they have a chance against us.”

It was so easy talking to each other, the banter flowing as though they had known each other all their life as their fingers hit at the keyboard, pressing the sequence of keys to launch the necessary attacks.

At a lull in the action Niall decided to speak once more, “He talked to me again today.” That was the other thing, CheshireCat was the only person who knew he was gay and that he had a crush on the most popular guy at school, though once again no names were used.

“That’s great, you never know Leprechaun, he might really like you, don’t give up yet.”

The jingling of keys in the lock reached Niall’s ears, the door scraping against the tiles as his mother called his name.

“Sorry Cat, my mum is calling. Talk to you later, bye.”

Niall logged off the game and walked out of the room.

xXx

Harry sighed as the offline message scrolled under LeprechaunWarrior’s icon. He was just so easy to talk to, and now that he was gone there was nothing to stop Harry from doing his homework.

The first book he picked up was for biology, and he flipped to the questions, trying to remember desperately any of Niall’s explanation that could help him, but his mind drew a black while at the same time focusing on Niall.

Harry wished that he could talk to Niall properly, but the moment the other boy turned to him he forgot how to speak, and he could only listen, never really hold a conversation. He couldn’t understand why he could speak so easily to someone over the internet, and be able to consider him a friend, while his crush who was in his own class was a stranger to him.

xXx

Niall stood in front of the board, biting his lip nervously, the tip of the pen hovering inches from the paper. He had gotten to school early, so the hallways were deserted, no one around to witness his hesitation. The list had been up for a week, today the last day to add your name in order to be able to try for the school football team, the team for which Harry was captain.

Niall had never made an effort to participate in school sports before, only adding to his image as a nerd, but there was no logical reason behind the decision, as Niall was rather athletic, and before his family had moved to London for his father’s work commitments, Niall had played regularly in a Division One side.

He missed the joy that came when he would simply let his body act while his mind critically assessed possible plays to allow him to move to the optimum position in order to further their attack. The way that he would put so much energy into a game, sweating and panting, but exhilarated from the adrenaline of the sport. The way he would hold his breath the moment the ball left his feet and soared toward goals, eyes going wide as he wondered whether the keeper would stop it. That instant celebration the moment the ball hit the net, and that instant sense failure when it didn’t, the emotions running in over tide only to be forgotten as the game resumed.

The tip of the pen touched the page, and Niall began to add his name to the list, his left hand dragging across the paper. They would laugh when the saw his name, there was a very defined sense that those who were smart could not excel athletically, same as those in sports tended to suffer academically. And here was Niall reading to break the preconceptions and prove that you could be both academic and athletic.

His hand dropped away, and he looked at the sheet, his name joining the long list to be trailed that afternoon. He already knew that CheshireCat wouldn’t be online, the other boy having already told him, but not specified, that he had plans for the Friday afternoon, so Niall did not have to worry that his decision to join the team last night would result in his online companion being forgotten.

He hadn’t realised that his feet had moved him down the hallway towards his classroom, until he became aware of the increase in activity around him, causing him to lift his head in surprise. Slipping through the door, Niall still had a good fifteen minutes before the start of class, so he slipped into his usual seat beside the window, staring through the glass at the football field, hidden behind some trees at the back of the school.

Niall’s eyes glazed over as he found himself falling into a day dream, imagining that he had already made the team, although his teammates where just a blur of unrecognisable faces. He could imagine the adrenaline pumping through his veins as he received the ball on the chest, bringing it down to his feet. Niall glanced up, seeing the oncoming defenders, carefully shifting his weight to feint to the right, before knocking the ball with the outside of his left foot, side-stepping the defender.

The sun-beat down on his neck as he looked up through his blond hair, sweat making it cling to his skin, pushing the ball in front of him as he sprinted toward the goal. He could see the keeper, low to the ground, already running out to cut down his angle and try to force the mistake. Niall took a deep breath, lining his laces up with the centre of the ball, his leg swinging, foot following the ball as it was kicked powerfully into the air. It rotated, and Niall knew as he watched it fly through the air, he could just tell. The ball dipped, slipping under the bar, hitting the back of the net, just as the full time whistle was blown.

He had won them the game; he turned to his faceless teammates in celebration, all of the unknowns blurring together, except for his goal keeper, the one person he instantly recognised. Harry ran at him, hands enclosing around Niall’s waist as he spun the younger blond boy around in celebration, before putting him down, leaning in closer until their breath was mingling together…

Niall jolted as the school bell rang, rapidly drawn from his day dream. Sighing he pulled out his books, allowing his full attention to be given to the teacher as he walked through the door to begin the lesson.

xXx

A captain must maintain an unbiased opinion, Harry reminded himself as his eyes drifted over those who had turned up trial, trying and failing to keep his eyes from wondering back to the unmistakable figure of Niall. His heart was beating quite fast, and he was sure that there was a slight blush on his face, but Harry was hoping beyond reason that Niall would have the skills necessary to make the team because then Harry would have a legitimate reason to talk to him, rather than just admire him as the smarter boy attempted to explain biology.

Thankfully, sensing his temporary loss of mind, Harry’s friend and vice-captain, Louis, stood up to explain how the boys would be trialled that afternoon.

“Basically, we are going to have you run a few drills and then later you will play a small game, while myself, Harry and Coach Cowell assess you on your skills. Eleanor can I ask what you are doing here?”

Niall and Harry both turned to the only girl present on Niall’s immediate left. Her long brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail while her brown eyes shone with determination.

“I want to play football, hope that’s not a problem boo-bear.”

Louis twitched at the use of his mother’s childhood nickname for him, trying to prevent himself from snapping at the insolent girl as Harry rested a comforting hand on Louis shoulder.

“That’s fine Eleanor you are more than welcome to trial, and if you perform well enough you might even make the team.” Harry informed her, as there was no rule stating otherwise.

Niall bit at his lip nervously as he completed all the drills, trying to sneak glances over at Couch Cowell and the two captains to gage their reaction to his trial, but they all had perfect poker faces. He bit back cries of laughter as he watched some of the other people trial, tripping over their own feet and miskicking the ball, and just in general looking rather pathetic. Some of the old football players were going to make it back into the team easily, it was apparent in their talent why they were there in the first place, but there were a couple of other standouts, including Eleanor who held her own against the boys.

Finally it was time for the match, and Harry and Louis allocated players to teams, Niall sensing that they were splitting it to ensure and equal amount of talent on both sides, but despite this observation he could not yet tell whether he had impressed them.

The game was simple, players looking to show off their skills rather than to win, so possession played a major contributing factor, more emphasis put on tricks, passing and tackling than actually scoring goals. Niall made himself known, weaving among play, always ensuring he was open and unmarked for a pass, while immediately jockeying and defending when his team lost the ball.

A shrill whistle from Coach Cowell indicated the end of the trial and every person moved to sit on the ground in front of him.

He began to speak, but Niall concentrated, his mind set to only hear his own name, not taking in the words that Couch Cowell was saying. He noted when the names started to be called, his stomach twisting up in small knots, completely ignorant of the euphoric smile on Harry’s face as the list progressed.

“…Niall Horan…” He let out a breath, he had made the team. He had made the team. He finally allowed himself to be pulled from his world, looking around to see who his teammates would be, throwing a nervous grin at Harry, who smiled back before averting his gaze.

He could see Zayn and Liam, both boys that he shared a few classes with give each other congratulatory high fives, as well as all of the other players from last year’s team having made it back.

The final name was called, and Niall turned to the final lucky person. Eleanor was grinning so brightly, and Niall immediately walked over to her to hug her. He had known her since he moved to London as they were neighbours, and he was infinitively glad to have someone to talk to on the team, at least until he worked up the confidence to talk to Harry.

“We made it Nialler, we made it.” She cheered, meeting Niall’s hug with such gusto that the blond boy started to laugh, a sound that caused Harry’s stomach to flip as butterflies invaded, like a perfect magical melody to his ears.

xXx

Niall logged onto the computer, disappointment lashing at his mind when he realised that CheshireCat was not on. He quickly altered his settings so it would appear that he was offline, in order to prevent any newbies attacking him, and clicked on Cat’s icon in order to send him a message.

_Hey I made my teams football team so I won’t be able to come play on Wednesday’s when we have training. And I have to go out now, a family thing, so I won’t be on for the rest of the night. Talk to you tomorrow._

Hastily he logged out, running his fingers through his damp hair, as he shrugged on a clean shirt, knowing that his mother was waiting for him downstairs, his brother sitting with her. His father had already called and let them know that he had just left work and he would met them at the restaurant, where they were going to celebrate his mother’s birthday.

xXx

Fingers flew across the keyboard as Harry typed a response to LeprechaunWarrior, happy that the other boy had football training at the same time as him, meaning that neither would be completely inconvenienced.

He hesitated before hitting the send button, a tiny spark of curiosity about the other boys identity and whether it was a coincidence that he made the football team the day he held trials and then had same day training. But Harry waved away this train of thought, clicking send as his mother called him down for dinner.

xXx

Niall’s grip on the sword was sweaty, biting his lip as he observed the obstacle ahead. The griffin pawed the ground, talons raking against the dirt, daring him to approach.

He felt the weariness in his body, and he knew with one hit he would be sent back to the last checkpoint, forced to not only restart the level, but for the first time wear a badge of dishonour that shown he had been defeated. And defeat was not something he took lightly.

On the path behind him lay sprawled the bodies of enemies already defeated, and just beyond the final barrier of the griffin stood the Lord that he had taken the quest to defeat. It was hopeless, even should he survive the griffin, he would not last against the boss.

Nervously he shoved his hand into the pouch that hang from his belt, eyes never once looking down in case the griffin decided to attack. But the fingers simply felt along the soft material on the interior, all of his supplies already used up.

Mentally and physically he braced himself, if he was to suspend the quest it was the same as being defeated, so he had to face the challenge head on and hope for the best. The sun slipped down in fiery rays from behind the dreary overcast sky, landing like a spotlight on the desolate land.

He shifted his weight forward to his toes, prepared to step quickly and take advantage of his heightened agility and speed. Quickly he appraised the enemy, determining the wings and ankles to be points of weakness that he would have to strike before going for the final blow.

The griffin remained still, beady eyes watching as Niall began his attack, preparing to knock the boy away with a swipe of his talons. He puffed his feathered chest, lion’s tail swishing in anticipation of the challenge. The boy was closer, and he lifted his foot, prepared to strike… _NOW_. But the claws cut through air as Niall sidestepped at the last second, dancing around the body of the beast, sword cutting through tendons and sinew as he slashed at the Achilles of the griffins back legs.

An almighty roar, filled with pain and anger echoed across the empty clearing, the eagle head snapping back aggressively as the wings flapped, the griffin bucking furiously, the wind generated by the wings forcing Niall to the ground, sword falling from his hands.

Instinctively his arms flew up to protect his face, waiting for the agonising pain of the griffin’s claw raking against his body before he disintegrated, only to be put back together at the start of the level.

But the attack never came, the griffin letting out a cry as it died, Niall peering out from behind his arms to see a sword protruding from the beasts chest. Slowly it dissolved, turning into pieces of glitter that sunk to the ground, leaving a man standing hand extended to his partner.

“What were you thinking leprechaun, you know this was a two man mission, you almost destroyed our reputation of being unbeatable.”

Once upright, Niall accepted the offered root from his partner, immediately feeling his strength renewed.

“Sorry Cheshire Cat, I thought I could do it by myself, and I wasn’t sure how long you would be so I went ahead and started. Good timing by the way.”

xXx

“Good timing by the way.” Harry shock his head as the familiar voice spoke through his earphones, slightly distorted by the internet. It wasn’t the first time LeprechaunWarrior had gone ahead to try and complete a mission and it wasn’t the first time that Harry had logged in just in time to save his avatar butt.

He tapped the buttons in quick succession as the two of them approached the lord that was the boss of this battle.

“You know,” He began daringly as they stopped just beyond the region where the character would recognise the threat and attack, “We have been talking for so long and we don’t know anything about each other. Not even each other’s names.”

“Stranger Danger, we shouldn’t give out personal information over the internet, for all I know you could be some forty year old pervert who lives with their mother that is just very good a video games.”

Harry chuckled at the cheeky response, “Good point, but how about we just pick a name, any name and just so we don’t have to call each other Cheshire Cat and Leprechaun Warrior cause they are both mouthfuls.”

He waited as he heard silence on the other line.

“Alright, but I get to be Justin.”

Harry choked, “Justin?”

“I like Justin Bieber okay, do you have a problem?” Harry knew that “Justin” wasn’t upset, the smile in his voice obvious.

“Alright, nice to meet you Justin, I’m Edward.”

“Please tell me you didn’t name yourself after a sparkling fairy princess.” There was a joking tone to his voice, with a slight plead, hoping desperately that there was another reason behind the name, causing Harry to burst out laughing.

“Oh god no, it’s my middle name, I figured it was a safe option.”

“Why didn’t I think to use my middle name? Now I feel stupid! Okay I demand to change; I want to be my own person. From now on I am James.”

“Alright James, Justin, Leprechaun, now we have that sorted out, lets kick some serious Dark Lord arse.”

xXx

Niall covered his face with his pillow, trying to ignore the blaring screams of his alarm ordering him to wake up. He and Edward had taken on a few other quests after they had deleted the Lord, and time had gotten away from them, until both of them realised at almost the exact same time that it was past 4 am.

Groaning, he accepted that he could not dawdle any longer and he sat up, rubbing his eyes as he blindly looked to shut up the alarm.

As his feet padded against the floor as he wandered to his wardrobe, Niall did a quick mental assessment as he tried to remember if he had completed all the necessary homework, and was relieved as he checked off each subject. He usually endeavoured to finish before he went online, but he had occasionally skipped a problem or two by mistake.

Satisfied, he pulled out a pair of chinos and a polo shirt, hurrying to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

xXx

Unlike Niall, Harry had spent his afternoon before running around at the local park, kicking the football with Louis. When he had returned he had gone online just in time to help James by defeating the griffin. And then they had played a little, and then a little more, and before he knew it, it was past 4 am and he hadn’t done his homework.

So Harry had gotten no sleep, the moment he logged off, he had pulled out his books, trying to finish as fast as he could so he would be able to at least nap, but as the sun rose, he knew that he had pulled an all-nighter. But at least he had gotten the work finished.

Chucking his books haphazardly into the bag, he grabbed something from his closet, dragging his feet as he decided to have a quick shower to wake him up, followed by a strong black coffee.

xXx

Harry made it through the day, just, but as he lumbered into his final class, Biology, he could feel the sleep overcome him. He was in such a daze that he didn’t even react as Niall took a seat in front of him, the blond casting him a glance before facing the front.

Resting his chin on his palm, Harry tried to pay attention, but the monotonous drone of the teacher discussing xylem and phloem acted like a lullaby and his eyelids felt heavy, fluttering open and shut as he struggled to stay awake.

_He felt a tug on his shirt and he opened his eyes, to find himself looking deep into Niall’s blue ones. The blond climbed onto his desk, kneeling, hands resting on Harry’s shoulders as he looked at the younger boy._

_Glancing quickly around, Harry was surprised to find the room empty, and he quietly berated himself from sleeping through class, trying to distract himself from the butterflies in his stomach from Niall’s touch._

_A hand trailed up from Harry’s shoulder, fingertips brushing Harry’s neck and jawline, sending shivers down his spine, and a blush upon his cheeks. He averted his gaze to the ground, terrified to look up, too look Niall in the eyes, because he didn’t want Niall to see the lust, the need and then reject him._

_A single fingertip hesitated under his chin, before carefully lifting Harry’s head, any resistance the boy had disappearing under the magnetic pull._

_Once again he was looking straight at Niall, skin tingling and legs shaking as Niall bit his lip hesitantly, as though trying to work out if what he was going to do was okay._

_And then he gained confidence, eyes smouldering, before they were hidden as Niall closed his eyes, leaning closer and closer, Harry’s lips tingling in anticipation, his heart thudding, the blood pumping and causing him to flush. Niall was going to kiss him…_

A sharp jab in his arm caused Harry to sit bolt upright, slightly disorientated as he tried to regain his bearings. A twinge of regret and lose shot through him, his lips sensitive to the kiss he had almost had, but that had just been a dream.

“Oi, Harry you feel asleep.” Harry froze as he heard the voice, so clear and distinct, of Niall Horan, glancing back over his shoulder, fist still clenched from where he had punched Harry in the arm to wake him up. “I had to wake you before Mr Collins saw you.”

Harry smiled, the fact that Niall had actually cared enough to wake him a small consolation prize to what he had almost had. “Thanks so much mate.”

Niall shrugged, “Hey we are teammates now, I gotta look out for my captain.” And with that he turned back around, and within seconds his left hand was copying down the notes from the board.

They were teammates; they would be able to see each other more than in just Biology. And this small thought gave Harry hope that he could finally befriend the smaller boy, and maybe someday become more.

xXx

Niall had to admit that he was suffering withdrawal symptoms. His laptop had encountered a virus and he was unable to use it as they sent it off to a family friend to try to recover the hard drive, so that meant he hadn’t been able to get on Dawn of Darkness for a whole week.

So many people wouldn’t understand just how much it was affecting him, but without the escape Niall was faced to live only in the real world. And he much preferred losing himself in a world of make believe were the hits didn’t hurt, and with a click of a button you could find new life.

And it was times like these that he needed that escape more than ever.

Niall clutched the books to his chest as the other boy leered at him, fist holding the fabric of Niall’s shirt as the boy was held, his back against the locked, sneakers reaching out, trying to touch the ground.

“What’s wrong nerd? You afraid? You should have thought about that before you tried for the football team.”

He wanted to just close his eyes, try and pretend he wasn’t in this very position, because he was trufully scared. He may have been the so called nerd, but Niall had never been bullied before, because everyone was just drawn to him, just too likable to act against.

But he had known when trialling for the team it would cause ripples; he was challenging the status quo, and as he stared into the cold, grey eyes, he recognised the boy as one of those who didn’t make the team and he understood.

Jealousy was driving this act and Niall slumped his shoulder’s giving up the struggle because he knew he didn’t have the strength to fight the older boy and if he surrendered maybe it would be quick and he would be free. But silently he pleaded that someone would find them, but it was unlikely as class was in session and Niall had a free period so nobody would miss him.

Flinching involuntarily as the bully lifted his fist, Niall felt his heart flutter as a familiar voice reached his ears.

“Hey let him go!”

_You are dreaming_ , he told himself, eyes now closed to the world as he allowed his daydream to become more elaborate.

_He was sprawled back against the sand, the tip of his opponents sword waving above his throat, the glint in his eyes as he smirked, waiting to let the sword fall and end Niall’s life._

_A whinny in the distance was caught by the breeze and the two enemies looked to the south to see the approaching knight upon his noble steed, reaching up to pull off his helmet, shaking out his curls in the sinking light of the sun._

_Green eyes fell upon the larger man, narrowed in spite and hatred as he dismounted, unsheathing his sword._

_“Unhand him you fiend.”_

_The sword was retracted from Niall’s neck, the sound of metal clashing echoing across the barren beach as Niall scrambled backwards, watching the fight in awe._

_The tiny grains of sand slipped through his fingers as he observed wide eyed, as Harry deftly knocked his opponents sword to the ground, and without any hesitation, swung his sword in a wide arc, the blade caressing the man’s cheek, the tiniest cut leaving a droplet of blood running down his cheek, the red smudging as he lifting his fingers up shakily to feel the damage._

_“Leave and let me never see your face again or I shallst not hesitate to end your life. Be gone foe.”_

_And the man scampered off, leaving Niall and Harry alone on the beach. Harry approached the blond, with slow yet sure steps, lowing to one knee and placing a hand upon his shoulder._

_“Be you alright?”_

“Hey Niall, you okay man?”

Niall blinked, pulled unwillingly from his imaginary world, to find himself way too close to Harry, able to count all the different shades of green in the iris of his eye.

 Taking a deep shuddering breath, which Harry misinterpreted for calming himself due to the previous incident, not because Niall was freaking out over his proximity, Niall forced a smile to his face, accepting Harry’s hand as he extended it to help him off the floor.

“Yeah I’m fine, he just didn’t like the fact I made the team you know.” Niall laughed uneasily, his mind quick to point out he was talking to Harry, actually talking in an environment when they weren’t obliged too, like football training or Biology.

Nervously, Niall moved his arm, running his fingers through his hair, unaware at the fact that seeing him ruffle his blond hair gave Harry butterflies, “Umm, thanks for helping me.”

Harry shifted from foot to foot, the atmosphere starting to feel heavy and awkward, both boys struggling to find words in each other’s presence, “It was no issue man, we’re friends. But I gotta run, I was only supposed to be out of class to go to the toilet. Catch you later Niall.”

And run Harry did, feet pounding the corridor as the blush rose in his face, Niall watching his retreating figure, a small smile crossing his face.

The first acknowledgement, the words had been spoken, they were to some extent, friends.

xXx

Fingers stroked the machine, and Niall didn’t even care how weird it was as he hugged the laptop to his chest tightly. He had never loved an inanimate object so much, and he was so glad to have it back and in one piece.

Setting it on the desk, he flipped it open, quickly pressing the on button, silently begging for the computer to turn on faster. When the log in screen appeared, he hastily inputted his password, groaning as he made a mistake and having to do it again.

After what seemed like an eternity, he was walking among the RPG world once more, the small sim reacquainting itself with the scenery it had been deprived of for one week.

“Hey James!” The voice of Edward resonated through the headphones, Niall having fallen easily into the habit of labelling the other boy as they had decided. “Where have you been you just dropped off the map for like a week!”

“Sorry Ed,” Niall apologised, as the pair walked toward the notice board, determined to accept a difficult quest to make up for Niall’s leave of absence, “My computer caught a virus and I didn’t have access to it.”

Niall frowned as he heard a snort over the line, “Where did you get the virus from? Was little Jamie looking up porn sites… no wait gay porn sites?”

Niall hesitated, a blush building on his cheeks, and the pause did not go unnoticed.

“Oh god, dude I was joking. You really got a virus from porn?”

“It was one time, I was curious and wanted to explore something! Can we just move on and focus on the quest.”

“Alright… pervert.”

Niall sighed as his friend laughed, thinking his joke ingenious, and something that would likely continue for some time, so Niall just settled himself in, knowing that for at least some time he would be known as pervert.

But he hadn’t been lying, he really had simply been curious. Harry was always on his thoughts, but Niall knew that he had had crushes on girls before, so he wanted to check if it was only Harry or other guys he found attractive too.

And he couldn’t lie, watching two men have sex had turned him on, and the erection he had gotten had caused him massive embarrassment when he had looked down and realised. But the main thing was, despite the embarrassment, he had at least figured out that he was gay, or at the very least bi-sexual.

“So pervert, there is a quest here that involves saving a Damsel from a dragon, so far everyone has failed, you game?”

Niall adjusted his head gear, fingers embracing the keyboard, eager to fight the unknown with someone he was fast beginning to consider his best friend.

“Bring it on.”

xXx

The pencil flipped between Niall’s fingers as he tried to ignore the heat that radiated from Harry’s body. The younger boy had decided that instead of sitting behind him, for that day he was going to sit next to him. And as a result, it was the first Biology lesson where Niall had found his attention otherwise occupied.

They had moved on to the topic of genetics, and in particular the process of meiosis. Niall was only half listening to the teacher drone on about the haploid nature of the gametes, and how a mother and a father each contributed twenty-three chromosomes in order to create an embryo. It was lucky that Niall had read ahead and some grasp on the concept, while despite Harry paying avid attention besides him, the taller boy was not absorbing any of the lessons.

Niall wondered about his future, with Harry of course. If they ever did get together, the processes they were learning about would be obsolete. They didn’t have the necessary part in order to create a family; there would be no children that were Niall’s and Harry’s. Sure they could adopt, or even use a surrogate, but there was deep emptiness when Niall realised that he and Harry would never be able to reach that final stage in their relationship.

Blinking his eyes rapidly, he turned away blushing to glance out the window. He was getting ahead of himself. There wasn’t even a Harry and him yet; the first stage of this imaginary relationship was non-existent. At best Niall surmised they could call themselves friends, but not anything more.

The clock was ticking, and Niall could almost hear it fall into time with his heart. Part of him just wanted the lesson to be over and the other part never wanted it to end. Biology and football where the only times when he got to see Harry properly, otherwise it was just a slight glance from across the hallway.

Harry nudged him, causing Niall to spin around wide eyed, nerves alive like an open circuit from the spot where Harry had touched him.

“The teacher wants to make some announcement and I thought maybe you should listen.” There was a slight teasing tone, as though Harry was proud of himself for catching Niall not paying attention, as well as something else, as Harry quickly pulled his arm away, looking down and shuffling his papers.

“In a few days’ time we are going to be visiting the Museum as there is an exhibition about reproduction and genetics. Please take a permission note and bring it back on Monday so I can check you off before you board the bus. One more thing, for the duration of the excursion you will not be required to stay with the class, however there will be a worksheet to complete and it will be done in pre assigned pairs. I shall read out the pairs now so please pay attention.”

Niall’s attention seemed to zone, almost as though he was looking through a tube, focused only on a point immediately in front of him, trying to forget the way his heart was pounding as he hoped to hear his name called with only one other person.

“Harry Styles,” immediately both Niall and Harry looked up, there attention completely on who the next name would be, “And Niall Horan.”

The boys turned to each other, bodies visibly shaking from excitement that was carefully being reigned in and concealed. And it a last minute display of self-control, they high fived each other.

xXx

Edward waited in the town square, foot tapping impatiently as he waited for James to show up, mission scroll held tightly in his hand.

Finally he saw the blond materialise, limbs forming slowly as the light pulsed.

“Hey, what have we got?” James asked as he stepped over the cobbled stones to meet his partner, catching the scroll as Edward threw it to him.

“Just a simple rescue mission. Some princess fell down a well. Sometimes I question the originality of the game makers.”

It was a well walked route to the well, but the companions keep a tight hold on their sword, suspicious of each other player they passed, prepared to strike out should someone recognise their high level and try to gain some extra experience points.

Luckily no one bothered them, and before not even five minutes of covering the terrain they were looking down the hole where the princess was pushed against the wall sobbing.

“We could just leave her there.” Edward said heartlessly as he looked down at the pathetic girl, earning a punch on the shoulder from James.

“You can’t just leave her there; it would ruin our perfect mission record. Shot gun you going into the hole.” Stepping away and throwing the rope to the Edward so he could be lowered down.

“Why do I always have to deal with the crying girls, why can’t we just get another Dark Lord already?” He muttered, tying the rope around his waist, feet teetering at the edge of the hole as he slipped in.

He found himself embraced by the darkness as the sobs grew louder.

“Shhh its okay, I’m here to help you.” He spoke in a monotone, knowing the CPU character wouldn’t understand him, but it was standard practice to stay the words, part of the unwritten rules even.

His arms circled the girl, strong as he held her and tugged the rope for James to pull him back up. He had to admit finding a friend among the Beta testers for the site was the best idea, he had seen many a newbie, who had stumbled into the world after it was opened to the public struggle and fail by themselves, while Edward and James basically built the precedent from the first moment for perfection.

James glanced over at the deep hole, watching as Edward reappeared, imaging the fear he would feel trapped in its confines, there was nothing he hated more than small spaces. And even though it was nothing more than a virtual world, he would still find himself panicking as the black smothered the screen. That’s why he always opted out of these missions and forced Edward to complete them, the other boy just assuming he wanted to avoid the crying girls. Which he did.

With both the princess and Edward back on firm ground, they both waiting, hitting their keyboard in irritation, waiting for her to finish her thank you speech and walk off.

Finally with the mission finished they were able to walk back to the town square, to look for some more dangerous missions.

James sighed through his mike , “You know Ed, I would never be as stupid as the princess to find myself in a situation where I needed rescuing.”

xXx

The bus shuddered to a halt, and the students stared out the window forlornly watching the sheet of rain that they had to dash through to reach the museum.  Lightning forked through the sky, illuminating the pyre at the top of the building in an eerie light.

Harry leaned forward, resting his hands on the back of Niall’s seat. “Looks like they bought out the best weather for this date Nialler.”

Niall immediately flushed red, the word date swirling through his mind, before Harry’s eye grew round at the implication of his words. It was just so easy to fall into his joking ways but with Niall it was different, a joke about a date with his friends would be laughed off, because Harry didn’t mean it. But this time he did, and the way Niall hesitated, his blue eyes bright with embarrassment and almost desire, caused butterflies to flip through his stomach.

“I meant study date, because we are study partners… come on Nialler, let’s just make a dash for it.”

Harry stepped into the hall, Niall falling into step behind him, as they walked past all the students who were pawing through they bags to find the umbrellas that had managed to sink to the bottom.

With quick grins at each other, they nodded to the bus driver to open the door. The rain thundered around them, but neither really hesitated, the water giving them a thrill, not unlike the refreshing exhilaration that came from playing football in the rain.

They sprinted across the muddy lawn, laughter echoing around as the splashed through the puddles subconsciously turning it into a race between two friends.

As they burst through the doors, looking like drowned rats, they leaned on each other laughing.

“The exhibition is on the top floor.” Niall gasped as he finally got his breathing under control. Harry nodded towards the elevators and Niall followed, temporarily forgoing his fear of small spaces, he had ridden in elevators before and he had learnt to control his anxiety in those situations.

There was a ding as the elevator reached ground level, and Harry and Niall huddled in as the few people who were in scurried out, leaving them alone in the lift.

They watched the light as it climbed higher and higher and then there was a dark shuddering, the lights flickered out and the elevator came to a complete halt.

It took Niall a few minutes for it to register that they had stopped moving, and it took Harry a few minutes more to realise that Niall had gone completely still besides him, almost as though he was frozen.

“Mate, are you alright?” He placed his hand on the smaller boys shoulder, noting the shudders that seemed to be wracking his prone muscles.

Niall took a breath, trying to remain calm, eyes shut tight, although he doubted Harry could see in the darkness, “Yeah I’m fine, I was just startled when we stopped.”

Stopped, trapped, death, Niall couldn’t help as his thoughts ran wild and a sob caught in his strangled throat.

“Fine my arse.” Harry muttered, keeping an arm on Niall as his eyes adjusted and he could see the other boy’s silhouette, features only lightly visible.

“I said I’m fine Harry.” He wanted to appear strong, what was the point of showing his crush that he was terrified, it just didn’t work it wasn’t the way to impress him, when he found out he was rendered useless by small spaces he would laugh. But the fear was so plain in his voice despite all his efforts, and his mind was so concentrated on appearing calm that he hadn’t even reacted to Harry’s touch.

The electric pulses that would course through his body, and the anticipation that would build whenever he was near Harry was lost in the overwhelming sense of entrapment and were replaced by a feeling of suffocation.

How could Niall get enough air in while the walls were slowly coming closer, snatching away all their oxygen in a cruel game to test them, to see whether they could endure the oxygen deprivation only to be crushed like an ant beneath a boot.

The iron claws of his fear caressed his chest, slowly squeezing, and Niall struggled to take those needed breaths. He could see the most horrifying monsters from Dawn of Darkness, circling him, waiting for the mighty hero to fall so they could pick him up and carry him over their heads as a trophy. And right in front, leading the charge was the monster who was slowly stealing his breath and life, pushing its face and bloodthirsty breath right into Niall’s personal space, and Niall could feel himself crumbling.

“Woah, shit!” Harry had simply been watching Niall, able to see the blankness of his face even in the dim light. Too blank, almost as though his face had been carefully controlled to hide what he was feeling, to hold it all in so that Harry couldn’t see. But suddenly the mask fell away as Niall’s body started to sway, his breaths short and sharp as the blond began to hyperventilate.

His blue eyes were wide with fear that he could no longer hide as his fingers grabbed at Harry’s arms, gripping at that one sense of reality to anchor him away from his dream.

Panic started to flutter within Harry as he watching the tears start to fall from Niall’s eyes, he was completely lost at what to do, how to make things easier for the boy he loved. So he stepped forward and pulled him into his arms, swallowing his pride as he fell against the wall, sliding down with Niall held to his chest.

Harry’s fingers tangled in Niall’s hair, slowly playing with them, the same way that Gemma would play with his curls whenever he was upset and he felt Niall calm a little, but the boy was still struggling to find air as he sobbed.

“I need you to calm down Niall, just talk to me. What’s your full name?”

Niall kept his head buried, Harry’s smell and warmth washing over him, and he had calmed down enough to be able to hear the question from within his panic, despite the monsters that he could feel clawing at his back. Taking a deep shuddering breath, he spoke in a mumbled tone.

“Niall James Horan.”

Determined to keep Niall’s mind busy Harry continued with the questioning, “And your life in Ireland, what was it like?”

“Fantastic.” Honestly at this time Niall’s memories were a mess, swirling together like paint and he didn’t have the mental strength to unjumble them to provide a more meaningful answer.

“And your family?” Harry knew he shouldn’t, but he felt content with Niall cuddled up against him, and his large hands running through that silky blond hair as they just talked, it was so perfect, everything that he wanted, that he didn’t want to break the illusion by reminding himself that it was as though Niall was drunk, everything that was happening didn’t count as anything more than a friend to the blond boy.

Niall clung to the string, his only lifeline as he felt the shield slowly envelop him, protecting his shredded back from further attack of the beasts, who howled in indignation and prowled around the small space waiting for another chance to attack.

“My parents are divorced, but it was on good terms, they just agreed that they had fallen out of love. I guess I’m lucky that they are still friends.”

Harry nodded above him, he rarely saw his father anymore, because when his parents had been divorced it hadn’t been pretty, many a fight had left him lying in bed with Gemma, hands over his ears waiting for the screaming to stop.

“I have a sister you know, an older one, her name is Gemma. Do you have any siblings?” The conversation was meaningless, just simply a distraction, but both boys were learning about each other, things that aren’t obvious, that are more hidden and yet have such an effect on each of them.

Niall nodded, fingers curled tightly against Harry’s chest. “An older brother. Greg.”

They fell into silence, neither quite knowing what to say, just comforted by each other’s presence. And then Harry spoke again.

“What do you do in your spare time, other than football and homework?”

Niall cast his mind’s eye behind him, at the taunting evil, and he felt the words drawn from his mouth and he could only hope that Harry wouldn’t judge him.

“I play an online game, Dawn of Darkness.”

Harry froze, guards up as pieces started to come together, but Niall continued speaking.

“I’m one of the best on there, and I’m not even being up myself my level and kills prove it. Have you heard of it? The game I mean.”

For the first time since they had become trapped, Niall sounded almost sane, as though he had found his one comfort topic.

Harry however was silent, mind whirling.  _Niall James Horan, James, Irish, LeprechaunWarrior, the football training on the same day, one of the top players… **JAMES**!_

“Yeah I’ve heard of it…” He croaked out, just as the lights flickered back on and with a rumble the elevator moved, doors flying open to reveal the rescue crews.

Harry just pushed Niall off him, muttering an apology before running into the museum, neither boy seeing each other again til the end of the day when Niall spotted the curly hair some many seats in front of him on the bus.

xXx

His sword swirled around, cutting through the apparitions in annoyance, the gentle glow the only indication of the enchantment that flowed within the steel. Niall was annoyed, and he knew the risks of the mission, it was rated rather highly, and he also knew he possibly should wait for Edward to join him, but what was the point.

He was sick of waiting, taking on such small and pitiful quests as the other boy refused to show, and he had enough. Niall didn’t know why his team mate had suddenly disappeared but it was approaching a week without his assistance.

That’s not to say he wasn’t online, rather Edward just wasn’t logging into the combined team system that allowed them to work together. Niall knew he was still online, he had seen his sim, wandering the market. Hell the scrolling screen down the bottom had even informed him “CheshireCat” had bought some Healing Potions.

So that was why Niall now found himself caught in the paranormal crossfire of the Haunted Castle. And as he furiously hit the keyboard, fingers flying, he managed to play like he had never played before.

His fingers splayed on the cold stone floor, chest heaving as he hesitated, looking up ready to attack, only to realise that all the fiends had run, the haze of smoke from the death hanging heavy in the hallway. And up ahead he could see the stairs.

Leaning heavily on his sword, Niall reached into his pack, pulling out a small vial and consuming the liquid. It was only going to get tougher; he had to remove the jewel in the crown room. It was an onyx, go figure the game had gone with a dark gemstone to represent the evil spirits, but originality was not the point, victory and success were.

Niall was wary as he climbed, feet hitting the rich red carpeted stairs as he reached the first floor, and he couldn’t help but notice how easy blood would soak in and hide within the fibres, perfectly blended so that no one knew there had been death.

The eyes of the portraits seemed to follow him, watching him closely, and from his position in front of the computer, Niall shuddered, cursing the clear graphics and late hour.

He felt his patience grow thin, and he was actually begging for some monster to leap at him, because the never ending climb was becoming tedious, but finally he reached the highest point and opened the door.

It was too easy, he sighed to himself, seriously the gem was sitting right in front of him just waiting to be taken.

Shifting forward in his seat, unconsciously leaning closer to the screen Niall muttered to himself, from habit as he was used to having Edward on the other side of the mic listening to him.

“Maybe this is like Indiana Jones, the moment I grab the gem something will come at me… but if I don’t grab the gem this entire mission is pointless and will never end.”

He pressed the correlating sequence and grabbed the gem, the moment it was in his hands a dark smoke filled the room, compacting to form a dense cloud which solidified into a person.

“It’s going to be myself.” Niall said as the screen flung around. But he was wrong, there was a pre-written code in the game that gathered data to determine which of the fellow played you collaborated with the most, and once this quest was attempted that data was used to turn your closest ally, into a twisted dark enemy.

And so Niall found himself staring at Edward, and he was completely okay with this, because he could never out rightly attack his ally, he could easily take his frustration out about being forgotton against a dark copy.

As he began his attack he barely even realised that the face that fronted his feelings of abandonment and ignorance was not that of Edward. No the face the shifted on the screen, the one that his mind had created an illusion of, was Harry. Edward was nothing more than a metaphor, the salt in the wound per say, for the real life situation.

Because Harry hadn’t spoken to Niall since the elevator had stopped, and it was driving Niall crazy. And as the fake Edward fell to his knees, Niall was filled with a sense of accomplishment and determination that he would find out where both of his friends had gone, or else the sword in the game might just become real and he would hold it to Harry’s throat demanding the truth.

xXx

The thing about the school library was that it was a trusted environment, everyone felt safe to leave their things there if they were called away. Harry was no exception, and he left his laptop open on his half-finished assignment as he was summoned by the coach to discuss their upcoming football final.

And Niall saw an opportunity he might not get again. The moment Harry stood, he snuck to stand behind the bookcase, waiting for the taller boy to leave. Watching the departing head of curls, Niall slunk into the chair, grinning with success when he saw that Harry hadn’t bothered to even log out, obviously assuming that the computer would time out and go to sleep before someone would touch it.

He allowed the smallest spark of guilt to cross his mind, but it was quickly smothered by curiosity. Here he was, sitting with the perfect treasure that would allow him uncensored access to his crush’s mind, and as long as he was fast no one would ever know.

Immediately he pulled up the emails, slowly scanning through them for anything of note, but it seemed to consist of a lot of messages to his sister, who was studying abroad, and Niall didn’t wish to invade his privacy that far, but if it came down to it…

It wasn’t until scrolling for two minutes that he came across something that made his heart speed up. It was just the typical sort of message, he himself had about a dozen in his email trash at home, it was an update from Dawn of Darkness, possibly informing him that there was new quests available, or that someone had challenged him to a duel, basic stuff that nobody really read because you would be notified the moment you logged in anyway.

But when Niall clicked on it, it wasn’t because he was curious about the state of Harry’s gameplay, although he vaguely remembered Harry mentioning that he has heard of it when Niall was talking in the lift, and there was a small bubble of annoyance that he hadn’t admitted that he also played. Niall was looking for who the email was addressed to, for Harry’s username.

_CheshireCat_

Niall had to actually stare at the name for a few minutes before it even registered in his mind, but when it did he had to hold back his gasp, a blush growing on his cheeks.

Oh the irony, that he had used Edward as someone to speak to about his crush, to seek assistance, when the entire time he had been talking about the person he was talking to and neither of them was aware.

The mouse hesitated over the cross, ready to exit the emails and hide before Harry could come back, but the small number one besides drafts caught Niall’s attention.

Clicking on it, his brow furrowed in confusion when he recognised his own email address. He knew Harry had it, it was how he kept in touch with the football team, but why was there a message specifically for him.

He felt his heartbeat increase as he clicked on it, eyes wandering over the words, mouth growing dry and palms sweaty.

_Niall, I honestly don’t even know why I am typing this, because I know I will never send it, but it was eating my up just knowing and not being able to say a thing. I worked out today that you are LeprechaunWarrior on Dawn of Darkness… I’m CheshireCat… SURPRISE! Wow that sounded lame, not that it matters cause you are never going to see this._

_Oh well time to be blunt, I think I love you, not that I know what love is, I mean I love my mum but that means nothing, but I do think about you a hell of a lot and today in the elevator when you were in my arms it just felt right and I just wanted to ask you then if I could kiss you. But I couldn’t because you were so afraid that you didn’t even probably realise._

_But anyway I have decided to avoid you because it’s too hard to be near you. This is just FYI, not that it matters cause I am not sending this but it makes me feel better if I pretend I admitted…_

Niall felt frozen, staring at the screen for forever, his mind trying to reject the confession he was never supposed to hear. But as he heard the sounds of Harry’s voice talking to Louis as he re-entered the library, Niall jumped, shutting down the emails and scurrying off to hide away and study.

xXx

Niall was leaning against Harry’s locker, he was done with hiding and running and hoping that Harry would stop ignoring him. For once he was going to be assertive, he was going to confront him and force him to tell the truth.

But as he saw the other boy approaching him, his resolve failed. If Harry knew that he had snooped through his computer he could ruin all of his chances, and the other boy would never trust him. And he could see the panic in the green eyes as he realised that he couldn’t escape Niall, this kind of panic that you see in caged animals before they lash out if provoked.

So Niall swallowed his accusations and just smiled conversationally as the other boy opened his locker, pretending as though everything in the elevator and afterwards hadn’t happened.

“Hey Harry, I was just wondering about the game on Friday, do we know who we are versing yet?”

It seemed that the familiar subject reminded Harry that he couldn’t avoid his teammate forever, so he relaxed and stared into Niall’s blue eyes, regretting it almost immediately.

“Yeah, Stonewall High, not that we should be surprised they are the only team we could never seem to beat. Anyway I have class Niall, see you around.”

Niall didn’t even bother to mention that Harry’s next class was Biology, the class that they had together, rather he let him go, a smile crossing his face as his plan started to form.

If he was going to confess to his crush, he was going to do it right.

He was going to kiss him after they win the final.

It was the night before the game when he found himself pounding on Eleanor’s door, butterflies fluttering in his stomach. He had never said it out loud, admitted to someone that he was gay, but he had a feeling his friend already knew, besides she was on the football team with him, so she might be able to help. And Niall knew for a fact that her parents had left earlier that evening for a job conference, so he had El to himself.

Or so he thought, because he wasn’t expecting Louis to answer the door. The brunette boy glanced over the blond’s shoulder, eying the rapidly darkening sky with chagrin, before finally speaking.

“What are you doing here Nialler?”

Niall look at Louis, as El walked out from the kitchen, biting her lip and blushing, and he made a split second decision. Louis was Harry’s best friend, and over the past season Niall had gotten quite close to the other boy as well, close enough to trust him.

“I need to speak to you guys, well originally it was just El, but seeing as you’re here to Lou, you can hear it.”

Louis shifted, his grey eyes looking down at Niall with a softness, as though he could sense the worry radiating off the boy, “I can leave if you want.”

Niall shook his head, “Nah, it’s probably better if you hear it now, probably save you some shock tomorrow.”

Louis let him in, while Eleanor walked over to join them, “Fuck, you don’t think it’s gonna storm do you?”

Louis smirked, “What’s wrong princess, scared of playing in water.”

Niall glanced between them, raising his eyebrow, “So when did this happen?”

“None of your business pipsqueak.”

Niall held his hands up, “Hey Lou, I’m about to be one hundred per cent honest with you two cause I need help, and so I just want you guys to tell me that one little thing.”

Eleanor shrugged as the three of them walked into the lounge room, sprawling over the couches, “Honestly I’m not even sure when it happened, just one day after training, I stayed back to help pack away all the equipment and Tomlinson manned up and asked me out, and I said yes cause I figured I could do worse.”

“I love the fact you agreed to go out with me because I wasn’t the worst baby, but anyway back on topic, Nialler spill.” Louis eyes were gleaming with the prospective information that Niall was about to give him.

Pulling his legs to his chest, Niall resting his chin on his knees, trying to ignore the sweat that coated his palms. He didn’t think it would be so hard to say out loud, but it felt as though the words kept getting stuck in his throat.

“I’m gay.”

Louis rolled his eyes while Eleanor laughed, “No kidding dummy.”

Niall’s head shot up, “Wait you knew!”

“We had an idea, but no one would dare to say it until you were ready, no please tell me the next thing out of your mouth with be a confession that you want to bed Harry Styles.” Louis’ words rolled easily of his tongue, as though he was discussing the weather, not Niall’s sexual preference and his crush.

Niall sat completely silent, mind stumbling. He was expecting a little bit of shock, not total acceptance, and beyond that knowledge that he liked Harry.

“Niall what do you want out help with?” Eleanor asked, a little more soft and kind, and Niall sighed before launching into his explanation.

“I can’t be bothered to explain all the details, but I’m gay and I like Harry, I have for ages… but anyway the other day I was… I was going through his emails…”

Louis gasped, “Who would have thought, sweet innocent Nialler, a criminal.”

“Shuddup you twat, but anyway there was this unsent email to me, so of course I read it cause yunno curiosity and what not, and it was him confessing to liking me. Obviously he never sent it but still. So I was gonna confront him and ask him, but then I changed my mind, and I want to kiss him after we win the final.” Niall stopped, looking out the window, before adding on as an afterthought, “And if it rains it might just make it that little more romantic.”

“And what if we lose? You know we haven’t beaten Stonewall High all season, do you want to kiss him even then.”

Niall shrugged, “Honestly I don’t plan on losing, as long as we can score, which I guess is kinda on me as striker, and we don’t let them score it should be all good.”

Louis held up his hands, “Wait let me see if I have this straight, we are going to win the game by scoring goals and not letting them score goals, why has no one thought of this before, this game plan is so brilliant, its sure to work.”

He was shut up by a pillow to the face, Niall smirking as the pillow met its mark.

“So why did you want to talk to us Ni?” Eleanor asked, placing a hand on the pillow to try and keep over Louis face and prevent the older boy from talking.

“I guess I just wanted some support, I mean it’s bad enough that I’m gonna be risking everything with Harry, but who knows what other kinds of backlash there will be, I guess I just wanted someone to have my back and shit.”

Louis pushed the pillow down, taking in deep breaths as he glared at Eleanor, before turning to Niall, as though he forgot it was Niall that threw the pillow in the first place.

“We’ve got your back Niall, don’t worry. And for a selected price we might even be able to have your front, your genital region, your lips and your arse might belong to Harry though.”

“You’re an idiot, you know that right, but I’m glad I can call you a friend Lou.”

“Hey what about me!” Eleanor indignantly crossed her arms, “I’ve had your back longer than he has.”

“Yeah but you’re not a friend El, you’ve been my neighbour forever your more like a sister to me.”

Eleanor beamed, jumping over to pull Niall into a hug.

“Oi, what do you think you are doing!”

Louis walked over and pulled them apart and Niall grinned, “Sorry Lou, I won’t try anything with your girlfriend I promise.”

Louis snorted, “Psh like I care about her, however she isn’t allowed to touch you, cause you’re mine, well your front and back are mine but we already discussed this.”

Niall giggled as Louis embraced him, and then Eleanor joined in. Suddenly he wasn’t so apprehensive about tomorrow, in fact he was excited.

xXx

Inside the changing rooms the sound of the water hitting the roof echoed as they pulled on their socks and boots. Neither Harry nor the coach spoke, all game plans having been gone over in their last training session the other day. As a team they took to the field, spying the referees through the blur of the rain, waiting for both teams in the centre of the field.

Niall felt a slap of encouragement on his back, as Louis walked past him to join Harry at the front of the line, the bright colours of Harry’s goalie jersey standing out against the dreary day. He shook his hands, shaking out the excess energy that had built up within him, the cheers and jeers of the crowd flooding through him.

He had never been in a final before, but now that he had it was like a drug, he wanted to live in the atmosphere forever, because he felt so alive. But it was more than any old final, there was so much more at stake, losing was not an option.

He heard the dull thud as the coin hit the ground, and Harry’s voice rang out as he indicated that he wished to run the way they were facing. The team scattered, sending each other looks of encouragement, their energy moving as one as Niall took his position at the point of the circle, bouncing on his toes, waiting for the kickoff.

As the whistle rang shrilly in the air, the other team began play, flipping the ball out wide. Niall ignored the player, knowing that Zayn would take him on, instead running ahead to stand with the last defender.

“Hey stranger.” Niall smiled as the only girl on the other team slid to stand next to him. Somehow she always ended up marking him, and Niall tended to get in trouble because the two of them would end up talking rather than playing the game.

“Hey Cher.” He looked down to her dark eyes, she was only small but she was tough and she wasn’t against playing dirty to get the ball out of harm’s way. But she was also very nice.

“You look tense, you planning on doing something after the game?” Niall couldn’t help it as his eyes flickered to Harry, the taller boy crouched, ready to pounce should any ball come to close to the goals. Cher smiled, “Ahh so you’re finally gonna act on your little crush, good.”

Niall groaned, “Is it really that obvious.”

“Nah” her small hand rested on his arm, “I just thought you were really cute and nice the first time we played so I paid a bit more attention to you than normal, over time I eventually worked out you played for the other team.” She smiled at her joke. “But good luck, I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

“Thanks, is it weird that I think of you as a friend and an enemy?”

“I’m you’re number one frenemy, but look our coaches aren’t looking to happy so maybe we should pay attention.”

She spoke at the right moment, cause Niall spotted Liam running down the wing the ball at his feet. Breaking away, Niall ran into the channel, calling for the ball. Liam heard his voice, and sent it his way, the ball rolling slower than usual against the wet grass.

Niall could feel the defender against his back, not Cher though because whoever it was was taller than him, and he knew he couldn’t turn without losing the ball.

“Over here Nialler!”

Louis dashed from the midfield, and Niall pushed the ball back, dancing around the defender to call for the one-two. Louis released the ball immediately, but his pass was not quite on target and was intercepted, and with a swift kick was sent back to the oppositions mid fielders.

The game continued like that until half-time, neither team able to gain a clear advantage, and every shot they managed to take being deflected by the keeper, or just shooting wide.

As the teams trooped to their change rooms, Harry pushed his fingers through his hair, annoyed that the rain had flatted his curls and the strands kept falling into his eyes.

“Hey Eleanor, do you have any spare hair ties, I just need to keep this out of my face so I can see.”

The brunette nodded and threw the thin elastic to Harry, who caught it, flipping his head upside down to scrape his hair into a tiny pony tail that stuck out on top of his head. He knew he looked like Pebbles from the Flintstones but it was better to be able to see the ball.

“You look sexy with your hair pushed back, Niall tell him he looks sexy with his hair pushed back.” Harry glared at Louis, before risking a glance at the blond, who replied with a wicked smirk.

“You look sexy with your hair pushed back.”

“Okay you two can grow up now, I don’t know what’s more disturbing, you two calling me sexy, you two quoting Mean Girls, or me knowing that you’re quoting Mean Girls.”

“Don’t lie Styles we know you love it, but now onto the game.”

Harry nodded, “Okay, we have the guys, we have been unlucky but we have had more of the possession and we have had more shots on goal…”

xXx

Niall was becoming nervous, according to the refs there was just under ten minutes until the end of the game, and if neither team had scored by then they would go into Golden Goal extra time, and then that failing, penalties. Niall had forgotten about both of those potential events until just then, he had just assumed that they would be able to win out right, but with the clock ticking, Niall was becoming desperate to score.

He was already frustrated because he had a chance earlier and managed to hit the top post of the goals, only to have it bounce back to his feet for a second chance… only to hit the side post and go out. He had sworn and kicked the ground as he walked back to wait for the goal kick.

His socks were heavy from the water, and his boots squelched with every step. His shirt was moulded to his body, and he felt a little embarrassed when he realised that Cher was checking him out. The again it was probably a good thing he was gay, cause the other teams strikers were having a bit of difficulty playing with Eleanor’s shirt as wet as it was.

He blinked back the water from his eyes, jolting into action when he saw the ball sailing toward him, high enough that it was going to clear the defensive line.

He dashed forward, quick on his feet, collecting the ball on his chest and bringing it to the ground, he knew that honestly it would probably be the last chance he got in the game.

He pulled back his foot, concentrating and aiming when he felt something solid hook around his leg, and he fell to the ground, smacking into the dirt and rolling, his knee throbbing from where it had been pulled at a weird angle before hitting the ground.

The shrill of the whistle cut through the air, and Niall saw the flash of red as the offending player was send from the field. They had gotten a penalty in the dying minutes, if they scored now it was essentially over.

“Niall, are you okay?” Harry slid in the mud as he crouched down next to the blond.

“Harry what the hell are you doing out of goals you idiot!”

Harry blushed and shrugged, “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Niall looked up, at Harry leaning over him the rain falling onto their faces and the curls escaping from the hair elastic, and he knew that there would be no better time.

Niall propped himself up on his elbow, hand snaking to hold into the back of Harry’s neck and pull the other boy closer.

Their lips were cold when the connected, but somehow the blood rushed to the skin, causing both of the boys to immediately feel so warm in each other’s embrace. It wasn’t perfect, it was a bit sloppy, as they tried to move in rhythm, but both in two much shock that they were actually kissing to really get it right.

Niall pulled away, blush decorating his cheeks, but eyes sparkling, “I’m alright I promise, just help me up so I can take this penalty.”

Harry looped his arm around Niall’s back helping him off the ground, but the moment Niall tried to put any pressure onto his leg, his knee folded beneath him and almost sent the two of them both down.

“Fuck.” Niall muttered as he allowed Harry to support his weight.

Suddenly Eleanor was next to them, “Let me take it, me and Louis have been mucking around after practice, and I know I can get it.”

Harry looked over to Lou who just nodded in agreement of Eleanor’s proposal.

“Go for it El.”

“Looks like the faggot can’t kick so they are letting the girl do it, everyone knows that this is a men’s sport and neither of them should be on the field.” An opposition midfielder spoke loudly, but soon found himself silenced by his own teammate.

“What was that about girls, if I recall you have yet to beat me in a single one on one game, and do you really have any position to be calling anyone a faggot as everyone in this team knows you take it up the arse every second day.”

It was quite commercial to see the six foot man cowering as Cher jabbed her finger into his chest.

The referee tried to get the game back in focus, as Eleanor placed the ball on the penalty spot, taking a deep breath as she heard the whistle. She barely even looked as her foot connected with the ball, her eyes immediately squeezing shut after she had kicked it, until the heard the momentous roar as the ball slot into the top corner, shaking the net as it dropped to the ground.

Louis ran to her, picking her up and spinning her around, their laughter only becoming louder as the referee blew full time and they knew they had won.

Harry hadn’t let Niall go, his arms firmly around his waist.

“You know CheshireCat I never would have thought in a million years we would get this ending.” Niall clasped his hands around Harry’s neck, careful to avoid putting any weight on his knee.

“You know who I am LeprechaunWarrior.” Harry breathed, leaning in to rest his forehead against Niall’s.

“Yeah I went through your emails the other day and found out.”

Harry jerked back, “You what. Niall you little…”

But Niall never found out what Harry wanted to call him, because he pressed his lips once more to Harry’s, stopping any words, as they kissed, the rain still falling around them while their teammates celebrated their victory.

xXx

xXx

“Harry Edward Styles, this is ridiculous, I refuse to believe that this quest actually exists.” Niall hissed into the mouthpiece, refusing to allow his character to walk back onto the screen, choosing to hide in what was referred to as a rabbit hole, a place where his sim could enter but all his actions within the place were invisible to everyone.

“It’s a real quest, you can’t even try to deny it, just click on the “Quest Options” button and you will see it spelled out clear as day.”

“I know it’s real I just, why does it have to be this way.” Niall’s voice changed from a snap to a whine as he rubbed his fingers over his nose.

“Because I got on the game first, simply.”

“But I don’t wanna wear a dress.”

“You sound like a child.” Harry was trying to keep back his laughter, unfortunately the same couldn’t be said for the others in their group, and the muffled giggles from the long silent pair invaded his earphones.

Niall froze, “Who the hell is that?”

“You don’t pay much attention to your teammates do you Nialler?” Louis taunting voice caused Niall to blush, he hadn’t realised that anyone other than Harry could hear him.

“Yeah Niall, Harry let us join your group, not that it was that hard to convince him because I am up there with you two score wise, well almost, I’m a top ten player at the very least, it was a bit harder to convince him of Louis, he is only a top thirty player. But you needed a maid-of-honour and a best man, so he let us in, so you are stuck with us now.”

Niall groaned, “But seriously who puts the quest as get married to either a computer generated sim or another player as the quest, and why did you accept it, and why do I have to be the bride!”

“You could have said no, you know.”

“No I couldn’t you wouldn’t have talked to me for a week! And that seemed a stupid punishment for refusing, and at the time I didn’t think LeprechaunWarrior would be forced into a dress. Goddamn it Harry when we get married in real life you can wear the dress.”

Harry smirked, “So you plan on getting married in real life, huh?”

“Well of course, what you thought I wanted to marry Louis?”

“But Nialler, that’s not what you said last night, I thought you were gonna leave Harry and we would ride off into the sunset.” Louis dramatically pronounced, followed by a screech of pain as Eleanor stood up from her laptop to punch him in the shoulder.

During the commotion, Niall allowed his character to walk out, wincing as he noted the elaborate medieval garb, covered with white lace, and jewelled along the corset, “Wouldn’t they like burn people for being gay back in medieval times, and I am so gonna lose all my reputation in this game, far out.”

“Niall it’s just a game, besides this quest gives major bonus points, especially if you marry another player, it’s like the equivalent of travelling to some distant kingdom and defeating a terrorising beast, just without all the possible loss of life, and do you really want to destroy out perfect record of not losing a quest cause you didn’t want to wear a dress?”

Niall sighed, “No, let’s just get this over with.”

xXx

Niall pulled nervously at the sleeves of his shirt, trying to smooth out any wrinkles. Just beyond those huge oak doors was Harry, and there was no chance to turn back.

“Relax,” Eleanor stood beside him, a hand on his shoulder, hair falling in elegant waves over her light blue bridesmaid dress, “You’ve already done this before remember.”

Niall gave a weak smile at her teasing tone, “But that was different, it was for a stupid game, this isn’t any game, this is real life, there is no restart quest option.”

“And you aren’t wearing a dress this time.” Eleanor smirked, “But Niall you and Harry love each other, it will be okay.”

Beyond the doors the sound of the march started up, and Eleanor gave him a swift kiss on the cheek, before moving to her place in line.

Niall was fidgeting as his father took his spot, linking their arms. “Never thought I would walk one of my children down the aisle,” Niall looked up, blue eyes meeting blue, and he was surprised to see the gleam of unshed tears and a proud smile, “But now I wouldn’t give this moment up for anything. I’m proud of you Niall, and I love you very much.”

“Thanks Dad.” And Niall threw himself into his father’s arms, just relaxing into the hug, before his father pulled him back.

“It’s time.”

Together they started the long walk to the end, and when Niall’s eyes fell on Harry, any doubt that he had fled his mind. This was where he was supposed to be, marrying the boy that he had used to watch train from the window of his classroom, hoping that one day they would be friends, or maybe something more.

xXx

**Author's Note:**

> So originally this was posted on tumblr as a chaptered story, but I decided to keep it all together as a massive oneshot when I posted it on here. Its been ages since I moved a story across, but I decided hey maybe people on ao3 would like to read one of the few things I wrote that is more than a few thousand words. Anyway I think this story is like 2 years old now, how ridiculous is that.


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